Minisforum MS-A2: A Serious Mini-Workstation Announced
Minisforum has just released their latest product, the MS-A2. This will be a serious mini-workstation. Recently announced, this machine is causing a stir not just for its small size, but also for containing high-end laptop processors inside.
What's New with the MS-A2
The MS-A2 is the upgrade over the MS-A1. Where the MS-A1 used desktop processors you could potentially replace, the MS-A2 pairs high-performance, non-upgradeable laptop APUs. But don't let "non-upgradable" worry you too much in terms of the main processor. You still do have options, and a major hardware upgrade avenue is still intact.
Choosing Your Ryzen Powerhouse
Originally launched with AMD's latest-generation Ryzen 9 9955HX APU (supporting Zen 5 architecture and 16 cores), Minisforum is now simplifying the price tag of the MS-A2. Now you can buy the MS-A2 with the still highly powerful but somewhat older Ryzen 9 7945HX. While the 7945HX lags behind the new chip by about 38% in speed testing, it comes with an extremely pleasant bonus. A healthy $200 reduction in the initial price of the 9955HX model, before taking into account any other launch offers.
Need More Graphics Muscle No Worries
Although it is based on a laptop-class APU (with integrated Radeon 610M graphics), the MS-A2 has a trump card up its sleeve for those that need serious graphics processing. It has a physical PCIe x16 slot, wired directly for PCIe 4.0 x8 bandwidth. This lets you plug in a discrete desktop graphics card to convert it into a legitimate gaming machine or heavy-duty creative machine.
Pricing and Configurations
For cost-conscious budget shoppers, the Ryzen 9 7945HX variant starts life as a barebones system (no RAM, no storage) for $639. That's nearly a 24% reduction over the same barebones 9955HX equivalent.
If you desire an out-of-the-box machine, Minisforum similarly offers a 32GB RAM and 1TB SSD model for $799. And as of now, if you enter the checkout code MSA230 you'll even receive $30 off that price.
The Minisforum MS-A2 appears to be an excellent option for someone who requires high-order processing capacity in low space but has the option of adding a high-end GPU later on.
Based on Minisfourms.
